Congress protests renaming of MGNREGA, ramps up attack on BJP ahead of state polls

A CORRESPONDENT

DIGBOI: With the state Assembly elections drawing closer, the Congress recently intensified its political offensive against the BJP-led central government by staging a sit-in protest at the Puja Mandap in Tingrai Bazaar, Digboi, opposing the reported move to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

The protest, titled "Save MGNREGA Struggle," was organized by the Digboi Block Congress and saw the participation of hundreds of party leaders and workers. The agitation is being viewed as part of the Congress' broader strategy to highlight rural distress and the alleged anti-poor policies of the BJP ahead of the polls.

Addressing the gathering, newly elected Digboi Block Congress president Vishnu Jaiswal accused the BJP government of systematically weakening welfare schemes introduced during the Congress regime. He alleged that by replacing MGNREGA with a new scheme, the government was attempting to shift employment rights from rural workers to contractors.

"MGNREGA is not just a scheme but a legal guarantee of work for rural households. Any attempt to dilute or replace it is an attack on the livelihood of the poor," Jaiswal said, adding that such decisions would have political consequences. He asserted that the Congress would take the issue to the people during the upcoming elections and expose what he termed the BJP's "anti-rural mindset."

Several senior leaders echoed similar sentiments, alleging that the BJP had failed to address unemployment and the growing hardship in rural areas. They said MGNREGA would be a key issue in the Congress' campaign, especially in the rural and tea garden belts of Upper Assam.

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